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Lighting your relief: a short LED placement guide
A relief is 80% shadow. Three ways to light it, from a desk lamp to a backlit strip, and the one angle to avoid.
A white relief has no colour to show off — it lives on shadows. Light it from the side and every crease of the hood appears. Light it head-on and it flattens into a white rectangle.
Three setups that work
- Raking light: a lamp or spot 30–45° to one side, slightly above. Maximum drama, zero extra hardware.
- Headlights on: the optional LED version lights the printed lenses from behind. At night the car looks switched on.
- Ambient neon: coloured strips on the wall, like the hero shot on our site. White PLA takes colour beautifully.
The angle to avoid
Straight down from a ceiling spot directly above. It throws the grille into one black bar and kills the headlights.
Move the lamp before you move the plaque.